MrSingh

smh

Thanks for the additional feedback Mamabear. I think I might pick up the Fastec, Rakuten has them on sale at 50% off. I need backup equipment since we'll be in Gulmarg next month and it would be hard to come across rentals/equipment shops in that region...

Somebody please land some 20m jumps using the Fastec bindings and let us know if the heel latch pops off...

The heel latch. My friends also had the same problem. I was hoping the newer designs would fix this flaw, but alas that was not the case.

I had an old pair of Flows, solid and well built. Then I upgraded to the newer version with the adjustable ratchets. Unfortunately the newer version had serious reliability issues. Bits and pieces started falling off through regular use after a few trips. I love the speed and simplicity of Flow bindings, but I have a long standing problem with the binding unlocking/popping off when landing big jumps. In one particular incident, both the bindings popped off after a hard landing and my board just came off entirely. My shin landed on the edge of my board and a strip of skin got scrapped off

I think it's epoxy glue. It came with the cheap snowboard repair kit, I bought it for the clamp. I was too generous with the glue and the flat piece of the clamp got stuck to the front of my board and wouldn't come off until after some vigorous riding. There's a piece of metal somewhere on Yamabiko at Nozawa Onsen.

That should work, same thing happened to one of my boards a few years ago. Use waterproof bonding glue.

Thanks for the pics thursday. Will definitely need to check out Tomamu one of these days.

I don't have pics, but I got plenty of helmet mounted camera footage. Will put them up in a few days. Nothing like a good round of rain to create high risk avalanche conditions!!!!

It dumped everywhere leading up to the end of last week. A couple of friends and I were lucky enough to be in Nozawa Onsen. According to Snow Japan daily snow reports, total snow fall from Thurs-Sat = 180cm. We couldn't touch the bottom of the snow pack when we went face first into the pow! After the snow had settled a bit overnight, we took a few fresh turns (with full avy gear) down the "forbidden" side-country. I can't believe how unbelievably good this season is turning out so far (especially after the last season!!!)

That's sick. Looking forward to the video.

Very nice pics.

Thanks for the info Dyna. Was in Niseko the past 5 days, just came back to Tokyo. Heard about the program on this board and saw the flyers on the Niseko Village Gondola, but we decided to head up to the peak on Tuesday. Weather was great and we had a great run down to the 3rd bowl in almost perfect weather conditions. Saw some lines under the Niseko Village gondola on the way up, must have been your lines!

Not at all. It's the price to pay for ducking the ropes. No other offenders on this board? How about close calls?

Originally Posted By: RobBright hmm, interesting. what is in that kit? and how much does a hydration system hold? About 2 liters: http://www.cascadedesigns.com/Platypus/Hands-Free-Hydration/Hoser/product I got this as a gift: http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com/product.php?catname=Ultralight&prodname=Ultralight%20&%20Watertight%20.5&product=121# Has the following items: Bandage Materials 4 Bandage, Adhesive, Fabric, 1" x 3" 2 Bandage, Adhesive, Fabric, Knuckle 2 Bandage, Butterfly Closure 1 Bandage, Conforming Gauze, 2" 2 Dressing, Gauze, Sterile,

Shovel, probe, first aid kit, hydration system, snowshoes, video camera etc.

So far, once in Arai. Ducked under the ropes for an entire day. The next day, a few other friends followed. Ski patrol found us on the first run and snipped our lift tickets after giving us a safety lecture. I'll never forget you Arai.

Decided to go cheap once a few years ago and booked at a small pension. They had a strict curfew and lights out time. It was an interesting experience, to say the least.

Went to Shiga about 5 years ago (the Ichinose side), the oyaji lifties didn't like my group very much because we kept riding under the lifts and in the trees despite angry glares and repeated warnings from them.

Originally Posted By: thursday Or preferably, "you are coming up to alighting point. Please raise the bar" For some reason, the "safety bar" announcement always sounds like "sexy bar" to us...

headstand for 1 hour. j/k.

Still waiting for snow.

tripler is correct, weight matters more than height when it comes to determining board length. But generally shorter folks have an easier time balancing themselves due to a lower center of gravity.

No snow to report in Tokyo.

Being short and fat is better for riding then I take it? If that's the case, I'm totally set to be the best rider in the world.